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Originally Posted by el lobo 6061 Where are your part 2 & 3 of trivia? Its already been 2 weeks. Waiting.. |
Here you go buddy!
So the situation was like this: It was over 36 hours since I had slept on a bed, I hadn't anything to eat over the past 12 hours, and I had spent the last 10+ hours on the road. Kind of reduces the options to a few one would say, right?
Not when you are in a beautiful city like Badami. The city is more of a small town, if not a village. But it does come with a lot of historical significance.
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Badami was the capital of the Early Chalukyas, who ruled much of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh between the 6th and 8th centuries. It was founded in 540 AD by Pulakesi I(535-566 AD), an early ruler of the Chalukyas. His sons Kirthivarman (567-598 AD) and his brother Mangalesha I (598-610 AD) constructed the cave temples.
The rock-cut Badami Cave Temples were sculpted mostly between the 6th and 8th centuries. The four cave temples represent the secular nature of the rulers then, with tolerance and a religious following that inclines towards Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. cave 1 is devoted to Shiva, and Caves 2 and 3 are dedicated to Vishnu, whereas cave 4 displays reliefs of Jain Tirthankaras. Deep caverns with carved images of the various incarnations of Hindu gods are strewn across the area, under boulders and in the red sandstone. From an architectural and archaeological perspective, they provide critical evidence of the early styles and stages of the southern Indian architecture.
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The caves of Badami are gorgeous, and thankfully under the management of ASI. It is a different aspect that I, like the idiot I am, decided to ignore these caves, for office work
Attaching a few pictures from another thread, weirdly the OP hasn't focused on this town, instead focusing mainly on Goa which is the destination of his trip.
Source: This thread Source: This thread Source: This thread Source: This thread
A call to my host (the groom - please note @samarjithdar) to inform him of my arrival proves to be my undoing as he ignores my blabbering and asks me to do a u-turn and head with him to the Mahakuta group of temples immediately. Ignoring my protests, he adds on that he has something to showcase that I would not like to miss in a hundred years!
A bit amused and my curiosity fully aroused, I follow him and reach the temple (
Google Maps link).
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The Mahakuta group of temples is located in Mahakuta, a town in the Bagalkot district of Karnataka state, India. It is an important place of worship for Hindus and the location of a well-known Shaiva monastery. The temples are dated to the 6th or 7th century and were constructed by the early kings of the Chalukya dynasty of Badami.
The Karnataka artisans of the 7th century achieved a certain eclectism in their architecture by building south Indian dravida style temples adjacent to north Indian nagara style temples. A natural mountain spring flows within the temple complex and feeds fresh water into a large tank called the Vishnu Pushkarni ("Lotus pool of god Vishnu") and an ablution tank called Papavinasha Tirtha ("Tank of Ablution").
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Outer complex of the temple The entrance and the main temple, note the slow buildup of junta for the wedding-to-happen The well kept walls with the intricate drawings and sculptures
Now I am no fan of archaeology or temples of any kind. My friend knows this yet he has pushed me to come over here. From the outside it looks like pretty much any normal temple in the south. But then my friend shows me the tank in the center.
Crystal clear water that literally makes you spend the entire day over there What I wouldn't have given to have a glass of you-know-what in one hand lie in this tank for the entire day!
It is b-e-a-u-tiful. The water is crystal clear and clean, which is quite surprising considering at any point of the time, someone is taking a bath here.
I then get the explanation - a natural spring from the base supplies fresh water throughout the year. The pool has a gated outflow point at a certain height that can be regulated and the excess water flows out into the corridor.
The gate that regulates the excess water
Even the excess water is made proper use of, either for washing clothes and utensils, as well as taking bath with soap. Do note, no-one uses soap inside the tank. It is an amazingly simple setup, hygienic (to an extent) and sustaining.
A inmate making use of the out-flowing water to wash a few clothes
I step into the water, it is warm and nice. Unfortunately I do not take a bath, a point I rue today. Meanwhile a bunch of kids show me how to make proper use of the tank.
Kids being kids - the SLR takes precedence, a show has to be put up for display
Meanwhile in another corner of the temple, the wedding is going on while I'm still lost in the tank. I see stairs in one corner of the complex leading to the terrace and I take up position to get a few pictures of the activity.
The majestic banyan tree that overshadows the temple complex A top view of the marriage happening below
The marriage activities go on slowly; I am absolutely bored of it. So much that I start taking arbit pictures of the trees and the in-numerable monkeys thronging the complex.
A bored photographer does what he can to pass the time! lol
Finally it gets over and the second best thing of the day happens - breakfast is served!!!
Needless to say, I'm one of the first in the line and get busy immediately.
Note: Info on Badami & Mahakuta group of temples taken from wikipedia (link & link)